


Light up the Effigy

by stilitana



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Codependency, Comedy, Declarations Of Love, Established Relationship, Identity Issues, Idiots in Love, Moral Dilemmas, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Team Bonding, Team as Family, enemies to frenemies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 20:03:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stilitana/pseuds/stilitana
Summary: When trouble of an extraterrestrial nature starts a 'brewin, the Avengers and the Guardians must turn to help from an unlikely source: reporter Eddie Brock and his stalwart symbiote.In which Eddie and Venom just wanted to enjoy a nice anniversary dinner in peace but now they've got to go and save the universe with the power of love. Or something.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! A few notes before we begin:
> 
> -Timeline? Don't even worry about it. After Civil War and before Infinity War, roughly, but really, who's keeping track at this point?  
> -I am using the new Venom movie's origin story for Eddie & Venom but some characterization from the comics may sneak in.  
> -Movie Eddie & Venom would immediately try and befriend Banner and Peter, these are facts.  
> -This cast is ridiculously large, people will come and go, Eddie and Venom are at the core of this.  
> -This is written solely to entertain and amuse so if timeline mistakes are made please try and roll with it, I'm simply incapable of and unwilling to attempt to remember at this point everything that has happened in the MCU.  
> -This is sort of a prologue, main action will kick off immediately in next chapter.
> 
> Now that that's all out of the way, I hope you enjoy, thank you so much for reading! As always, critique is welcome and comments make my day!! Feel free to come chat with me on tumblr at stilitana.

            Eddie Brock popped a pill before boarding the plane bound for New York and focused on the comforting sensation of his other sending soothing rumbles through their chest. Six months ago the feeling of Venom winding around his organs would’ve been the furthest thing from comforting, but now it calmed his rattled nerves more than the Xanax. He didn’t need the medication regularly, but since the Life Foundation incident and what with returning to his home turf where he was a little less than welcome, for a high-profile interview with none other than Tony Stark, he was understandably on edge. They’d already puked once that morning before boarding and they couldn’t afford to waste meals just because Eddie was feeling peaky.

            Still, they were getting better every day, and the aftermath had at least come with a tidy little payout that let them move into a slightly nicer apartment than the one that had been destroyed, and they’d been welcomed back to work.

            **_Do we like Tony Stark?_**

            “Eh,” Eddie said, waving one hand in the air in a non-committal gesture. The woman in the windowseat beside them glanced at them from the corner of her eye, then returned to reading her magazine. “We’re of two minds about him.”

            _**That doesn’t get any funnier no matter how many times you say it, Eddie.**_

            Eddie chuckled, ignoring the woozy flip-flopping of their stomach. “You’re just jealous of my sense of humor.”

            Venom gave a long-suffering sigh of exasperated fondness that tingled across their ribs.

            “Ok, so, on the one hand, he’s an arrogant jackass with an ego the size of New York. I mean, just look at that tower of his and tell me it doesn’t scream overcompensating. On the other hand, he’s one of the good guys, and he protects people.”

            _ **So no eating him?**_

            By now the old, familiar question amused rather than horrified Eddie. Venom was all bark and no bite lately—once they stopped getting shot at and experimented on, Venom went from a rabid attack dog to a fat, lazy house cat in about a week, and as long as they kept themselves well-fed they didn’t have to resort to Venom’s more questionable cravings.

            “Nah, not him, bud. He’s a hero.”

         _ **Like us.**_

            “Well…yeah and no. There’s a reason I’m asking you to keep quiet and not show yourself during this interview, V. Stark may be a good guy, but that doesn’t mean he’s a good guy, you know?”

            _**No. That made no sense.**_

            “Just because he goes around in his flashy tin suit helping old ladies cross the street doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s above trying to, I don’t know, study us ‘for the greater good.’ That’s how powerful guys like him justify doing really questionable shit. He might not see us as such good guys, V, and if he can justify it to himself like that, well—who knows.”

            _**He does not sound good, Eddie.**_

            “Well, he’s saved all of New York a few times, so he’s got that going for him. And this interview, it’s kind’ve a big deal for us. It means we’re really moving up in the world, V, it’s a huge opportunity. If this article goes well, there’ll be a big payoff.”

            ** _…And maybe we can go to that sushi place again…_**

            Eddie laughed. “Yeah, exactly.”

            _**And Hulk will be there, also?**_

            Eddie smiled. “Yeah, buddy, Dr. Banner will be there.”

            _ **It’s not the same thing?**_

            “I don’t think they’re quite like us…but I’m excited to meet him, too.”

            _**He’s our favorite. We like him.**_

            Eddie laughed under his breath, but his anxiety only worsened when he thought about meeting Banner.

            _**We deserve to write this article. We are good at our job. Stark should be honored to be interviewed by us.**_

            “Love the confidence, keep it coming.”

           _ **Have to be confident enough for both of us.**_

            “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            _ **Means you’re sweating so much we’re getting dehydrated.**_

            Eddie pinched the inside of his wrist and Venom hissed in response to the slight twinge.

            They spent the night in a cheap hotel. Eddie had planned a day of showing Venom the sights of the city, but they were so hungry and jet-lagged they only made it through about a third of his planned tour before retreating to their room and ordering a mountain of room service which they devoured on their bed while flipping channels.

            “Sorry about the tour,” Eddie said.

            _ **This is good, too. Don’t be sorry,**_ Venom said, manifesting tendrils and wrapping them around Eddie’s torso. Eddie sighed and leaned back into the embrace, smiling widely. _**We like it when it’s just the two of us.**_

            “And nothing will ever keep us apart?” Eddie said, his voice soft and tentative and a little shy, still getting used to the blossoming tenderness between them, how they now exchanged the sort of sappy remarks he’d never felt comfortable saying in any of his past relationships as easy as they teased each other.

            Venom laughed quietly, the feeling warming their insides. _**We pity anything that even tries.**_

           

            In the morning they ate a big breakfast, Venom’s constant hunger mingling with Eddie’s bad habit of nervous eating. Then they fiddled with their tie in the full length mirror, Eddie’s clumsy fingers struggling.

      _ **Let me do it, dumb-dumb.**_

            “Fine,” Eddie said, watching as delicate black tendrils rose up from beneath his collar and deftly knotted his tie. “Thanks, babe.”

            _**Butterfingers. Don’t be nervous. We are good at what we do, or else we would not have been sent. This is an important interview, they chose us because we are the best.**_

            “Yeah?”

_**Yes.** _

            Venom kept up a constant pep-talk as they made their way to Stark Tower, where Eddie checked in with the front desk and received a guest badge. They got into an elevator, which took them up…and up…and up, until Eddie gulped and loosened his tie.

            _**Don’t be scared. We’re together.**_

            Venom started massaging the tension out of their shoulders from beneath the skin, working right at the muscle, which had once been an odd sensation but was now tremendously comforting. The elevator pinged, the doors slid open silently.

            “Welcome, Mr. Brock,” said a robotic voice. A veil of blue light spilled over them as they stepped out of the elevator into a wide lounge room with panoramic windows looking out over the city. The view immediately sent a wave of vertigo over him that Venom worked to smooth over. Eddie sent him a nudge of gratitude.

            “Finally! We’ve been growing old up here, Mr…Brock, right?”

            Tony Stark was standing by the windows, hands on his hips, dressed in the kind of careless elegance only extreme wealth could afford. Banner was seated on a low couch, glass of water in his hands. He looked tense and nervous. So did Stark. No other exits, just the broad bay of windows, a bar off to the side, everything seamless, minimalist, scrubbed until it shone.

            “I’m sorry?” Eddie said.

            Banner stood and gave Tony a dry look. “Good morning, Mr. Brock. Don’t mind Tony, you’re right on time.”

            Eddie was thrown off balance by the odd greeting. He plastered a smile on his face, strode into the room and extended a hand for first Bruce, then Tony to shake. Bruce took it immediately and gave it a light shake, while Tony stared for a moment before rudely jerking his hand up and down.

       _ **Break his wrist.**_

            Eddie’s smile was a little strained but he otherwise kept his cool. “It’s a real honor to meet you, Dr. Banner, Mr. Stark.”

            Stark waved a hand. “Spare us the fanfare, would you? You’re a reporter, aren’t you supposed to be impartial?”

            “I’m a journalist.”

            “Tony,” Bruce said, his voice tired.

            “Sorry, sorry, you’re a journalist. My mistake.”

            “Um…ok,” said Eddie.

          _ **This guy’s a douchebag, are you gonna let him walk all over us like this?**_

            “What can I do?”

            “Sorry, what was that?” said Stark.

            “I mean—I’m here to interview you, Mr. Stark, that’s all. About your new space tech?”

            “Right. For your little rinky dink San Fran publication. But you used to work here, didn’t you, Brock? What happened?”

            “I—excuse me?”

            “Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re the journalist, you’re asking the questions here. But you can’t blame a guy for being curious about you. I mean, I should be the one saying it’s an honor, meeting a survivor of that Life Foundation trash can fire.”

            Their mouth was dry. They took an unconscious step back toward the elevator. “I—that was a while ago. I wasn’t really involved, I just—”

            “You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, you were too nosy for your own good and wrote that damning article on Carlton Drake, yes, we’re familiar with the official story, Brock. That’s not what interests me.”

            “I think it would be best if we stuck to the established interview topics,” Eddie said, looking down at his legal pad and notes. It was shaking—no, their hands were shaking.

            “Oh, right, the interview—you don’t really still think you’re here for an interview, do you? You think it’s a coincidence, that your paper sent you here, to me? You think I let just any old reporter in here? No, Brock. I chose you. I asked for you to be sent.”

            “Well, that’s—thank you?”

            “Is he still not getting it?” Tony said, turning to look at Bruce, who was frowning down at his glass of water. “Geez, I thought it was a fluke, how easy it was to get him to come here, but the guy really is about as dumb as a box of rocks, isn’t he?”

            **_We need to leave, Eddie._**

            “I know.”

            Stark laughed. “He knows! Well, that’s at least something. So, cards on the table, Brock—you’re not here to interview us. It’s the other way around. So have a seat. You want a drink? I’m having a drink,” he said, walking behind the bar and retrieving two glasses from a cabinet.

            “No, thank you.”

            Stark poured scotch into the glasses. “Really, help yourself. I’m gonna tell you what I know, and then I’m gonna tell you what I will know by the time you leave. Six months ago, you got into the Life Foundation’s business. You pissed that jerkbag Carlton Drake off, and he—did something to you. He was conducting illegal human experiments. Experiments involving a certain hush-hush crash-site in Malaysia. Ringing any bells up there, Brock? Don’t bother trying to lie—you think a guy like me isn’t able to access all the files and security feeds that weren’t destroyed? I know you were involved in those experiments, and I know those experiments involved something extraterrestrial. Now I want you to tell me what specifically Carlton Drake was cooking up in his second-rate labs.”

            “I already gave an official statement,” Eddie said. “I don’t have any more to add. If you’ve seen all the files, then—then you know I was sick, I was sick and I don’t remember, I already told them everything I know. If…if the interview isn’t happening, I’m going to leave now. I don’t want to talk about this anymore, not with anybody.”

            “Yeah, see, that’s not going to work for me. I have a very personal stake in anything vaguely relating to the invasion of Earth by our alien neighbors. You’re a reporter, you’re up on the news, I’m sure you understand why. I didn’t go through—we all didn’t go through what we did, just to have some half-wit like Drake make all those sacrifices for nothing, just so some nobody like you could bring it all crashing down again, out of nothing but ignorance. That I’m not willing to accept, Brock. And I think you know that I know that your official statement is bullshit. It’s in your best interest to tell me the truth, right now.”

            “You can’t keep me here,” Eddie said. “You can’t—you don’t have the right. I already—I told them everything, I swear. I don’t have to say anything to you.”

            He looked at Banner. Banner met his eye and gave a sympathetic wince.

            “Tony, back off a little, would you?”

            Stark glared. “I will not back off when this moron comes waltzing in here, totally oblivious, as if he isn’t contaminating the planet with his pet slime mold wherever he goes! As if good people didn’t die defending this hunk of rock, just so this numbskull can come along and fuck it up.”

            “What did you say,” Eddie said, the blood draining from his face. Venom had gone deathly still, Venom was cold fire in his veins threatening to bubble up.

            Stark sighed. “Alright, jig’s up. The minute you walked in here, the most state-of-the-art tech on Earth scanned you up and down. I know from Drake’s files exactly what I’m looking for in regards to his experiments. I know you lied, Brock. Now I just need to know why.”

            _**Time to run,**_ Eddie, Venom said, and jerked their body back against the elevator doors. They scrabbled clumsily at the buttons, breathing ragged—but the elevator doesn’t respond.

            “Mr. Brock, please calm down, we aren’t here to hurt you,” Dr. Banner said, glaring at Tony. “I’m afraid Tony’s given you the wrong impression. This isn’t an interrogation, you aren’t being held hostage.”

            “If you’ve shut down the elevator, then yes we are!”

            “We?” said Stark.

            They turned around and snarled at Stark, Venom seething beneath their skin. “You can’t keep us here, you’ve got no right.”

            Banner held up his hands in a soothing gesture that did little to curb their mounting rage. “Mr. Brock, we’re sorry for what Carlton Drake did to you. Truly, deeply sorry. We aren’t going to hurt you—we want to help.”

            “Help?”

            “Yes. If you let us explain—let me explain,” Banner said, shooting Tony a stern look. “You know we were involved in stopping a hostile alien invasion some years ago. We know what we’re doing.”

            “Enough with the bad cop, good cop routine! Just open the doors and, and you won’t ever see me again!” Eddie said. “I swear, I’ll leave, you won’t hear about me, I won’t even come back to New York.”

            “No can do, pal,” said Tony. “I’m afraid it’s just not gonna happen. Not while you’ve got a hitchhiker.”

            They snarl and press their back against the doors. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “I know enough. I know Carlton Drake was conducting human experiments with some kind of alien parasite. I know you were involved in one of those experiments. I know that the bio-scans I’ve run on you give every indication noted in Drake’s files that you’ve still got a body-snatcher on board. So give up the act. You aren’t Brock at all. If Eddie Brock’s still in there, he’s soon gonna be singing my praises.”

            “We want to help you, Eddie,” Banner said.

            “No, you don’t! You think you know what you’re talking about, but you don’t know shit.”

            “Alright, I’ve had enough of doing this your way,” Tony snapped, turning to Banner. “We’ve tried chit-chat. That thing isn’t human, and the sooner we get it out of him, the better off Brock will be.”

            “You can’t just tranq a civilian, Tony.”

            “That’s not a civilian, that’s a parasitic monster.”

            As it dawned upon them that they were there to be separated, something snapped. Venom boiled up beneath their skin, ropy tendrils looping protectively around Eddie’s body, but not fully covering him. Stark and Banner stared with mixed fascination and disgust.

            Eddie held up their hands, palms outward. “We aren’t a monster! You’ve got it all wrong, wait, wait, don’t do this. We don’t wanna hurt anybody, we’ve been good, you don’t understand! Let us explain!”

            “I think I’ve seen enough,” Tony said. “I’ll hear my explanations from Brock as soon as I get him out.”

            “We are Eddie Brock!” They turned to Bruce, Eddie’s pleading tone mingling with Venom’s threatening growl. “Please, Dr. Banner, you gotta listen to us—you must understand—we are Eddie Brock—we’ll cooperate, we’ll tell you everything you wanna know, just don’t do this, don’t take us apart.”

            _ **Rip their heads off,** _ Venom hissed. **_Let us take over, Eddie._**

            “Not yet, wait,” Eddie said.

            “Tony, this isn’t right,” Bruce said.

            “You’re gonna side with that thing over me?”

            “I’m not taking any sides, there aren’t sides. Jesus, Tony, you know I’m with you—but this isn’t the way to go about this. Let’s hear what the guy has to say, we don’t know the whole story, you said so yourself. You’ve scared him to death, he’s willing to talk.”

            “Right. Well, we all might have avoided this, but here goes nothing,” said Tony, and pulled a slim remote out of his pocket. He pressed a button, and an incredibly high-pitched alarm began wailing, shrill and piercing, sending needles shooting straight through Eddie’s eyes into their brain. Their knees buckled and they clapped their hands over their ears, curled up on the floor and screamed. Venom writhed and boiled under their skin, desperate to get out, hide, get away, but Eddie clung to him, knew that the pain would only be bearable if they endured it together, refused to be ripped apart the way they had been before, when he’d let Venom suffer alone.

            Eddie babbled nonsensical reassurances, pleaded and cajoled Venom, murmured desperate gibberish in an attempt to soothe the pain echoing back and forth between them. Then the elevator doors opened and a web shot through the air, snatched the remote out of Tony’s hand, and the noise ceased. They remained curled on the ground, their teeth chattering, ears ringing, shudders racking their body as they ran their hands up and down their arms as if to reassure themselves they were still there, still murmuring to each other a desperate litany of reassurances.

            “It’s ok, we’re ok, we’re still here, we’re still us,” Eddie whispered, his voice hoarse and ragged.

            “Peter, what the fuck?” said Tony.

            Peter Parker stood in the elevator, dressed in jeans and a hoody, the laces of his ratty sneakers coming undone, wide-eyed and pale, the remote clutched in one trembling hand.

            “I—I’m sorry, Mr. Stark,” he said, his voice cracking.

            “Get out of here, now.”

            “What…what’re you doing to that man?”

            “None of your business, Peter,” Tony said. He’d gone pale. “You and I will talk about this later.”

            Peter looked at Banner, who suddenly unfroze and knelt beside Eddie.

            “Mr. Brock, are you alright?”

            “Don’t touch us,” Eddie snapped, scrambling away and pressing their back against the bar, their chest heaving. “Don’t fucking touch us.”

            _**Kill kill kill kill kill,**_ Venom screamed, blind and out of their mind with rage that Eddie did his utmost to soothe, knowing that the symbiote didn’t mean it, that they would regret it horribly if they lost control, that it was only lashing out in pain and fear.

            “Don’t touch us,” Eddie said, shivering with the force of cradling all Venom’s raging terror. “We’re good, we’re good, you shouldn’t have done that, you don’t understand.”

            “I’m taking over,” Banner said, voice quiet but firm. “Tony, you’re done. That’s enough. You can either let me handle this and sit down quietly, or get out of the room.”

            Tony didn’t even look at him, kept his gaze fixed on Peter, who stood trembling in the elevator.

            “Peter, go back downstairs,” Banner said.

            “But what’s gonna happen to—”

            “I am going to explain everything to you later,” Banner said. “But right now I need to take care of this. Do you understand?”

            Peter hesitated, then nodded. The elevator doors slid shut and he was gone.

            “Fuck,” Tony said, his voice hollow. “Fuck, fuckity-fuck.”

            “You don’t get to have a meltdown right now,” Banner said. “Keep it together. You can fix things with Peter, right now you need to be present and handle this.”

            Venom’s rage had cooled and he was now a trembling, heavy mass in their stomach, wracking their body with chills and nausea.

            “We’re going to be sick,” Eddie said, his voice faint.

            Bruce rushed behind the bar and passed them a bowl, which they promptly vomited into.

            “Oh,” Tony said, blinking and seeming to exit a trance. “Shit.”

            “Yeah, oh shit is right,” Banner said grimly.

            Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. “I fucked up.”

            “What can I do for you?” Banner said, kneeling near Eddie. “Are you injured?”

            Eddie wrapped their arms around them and rocked gently, shushing Venom.

            “We’re ok,” he said, his voice shaky. “But if you do that again, somebody’s gonna die.”

            “Nothing like that is going to happen again,” Banner said. “This whole thing has been a huge misunderstanding.”

            “I know,” Eddie said, swallowing. “You think that—you think Drake infected me with something. You think I’ve been taken, against my will, and been used all these months, by a parasite. You think it’s killing me, you think it’s evil. You’re wrong. Eddie Brock, that’s still me, that’s still us. We like being this way. We aren’t bad, we don’t hurt people. We only lied to keep us safe, we don’t want any trouble, we just want to be left alone. I’m not being hurt. We want to stay like this, we won’t let anybody separate us. We’re going to be _us_ forever,” he said, the last part coming out as a vicious snarl as Venom’s voice bled into his.

            “We didn’t know,” Bruce said.

            “You really believe that?” Tony said.

            “What the hell do you want me to do, Tony?” Bruce said.

            “I want you to understand that I—that everything I do, I do to protect this city, and this planet.”

            “I know, Tony, I know. But this is going too far. You need to get help, this isn’t the right way to deal with what happened. If this guy was a threat, don’t you think something would’ve happened by now? The least you can do is listen to what he’s saying. He’s trying to tell you what you want to know, and you aren’t listening.”

            Eddie stared at Stark through slitted, blackening eyes. “We protected Earth, too,” they growled. “We’re just like you. We aren’t the bad guy, we saved Earth. We chose Earth, we chose us. Earth is our home.”

            The fight went out of Tony in a rush and suddenly he seemed very small and very tired. His shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I already knew what I expected you to be, and I didn’t listen when you tried to tell me otherwise. I’d already decided what you were. I miscalculated.”

            Bruce brought Eddie a glass of water, which they gulped down gratefully.

            “I know what we are is different, and what’s unknown is frightening,” Eddie said quietly, the agony dulling to a steady throbbing ache. “But we aren’t your enemy. Unless you make us be,” they added in a low growl.

            “I’m going to go,” Tony said. “I think I’ve done enough here.”

            “Give yourself a minute before you go find Peter, you’ll say something you regret if you don’t calm down first,” Bruce said.

            Tony flicked two fingers in a salute without turning around. He went into the elevator and disappeared.

            Bruce sighed heavily and sat down, leaned against the couch across from Eddie.

            “So, that wasn’t the first impression I was hoping to make with you,” he said wearily.

            But now that Tony and the threat of separation seemed to be gone, Venom and Eddie stared at Bruce with wide, starstruck eyes. “You know,” they said, tentative but increasingly enthused, “you’re our favorite Avenger.”

            Bruce blushed and looked away. “I can’t imagine why.”

            His attempt at dry humor flew over their head and they leaned forward eagerly. “Because you’re not like those other hotheads, you aren’t an arrogant jerk—and because you’re like…us,” they said, mirroring Banner’s blush and looking at him shyly.

            “Well, I don’t know about that…”

            “We don’t know anyone else like us,” they said with a dreamy sigh, bringing their knees to their chest and resting their chin upon them. Venom wound himself around Eddie’s arms, laced himself through his fingers. “In a way, we’re sort’ve glad Stark fucked us over, ‘cause now we can talk to you about it.”

            Bruce looked sad. “I don’t know if I’m what you think I am.”

            “Does your other talk to you? Are you close?”

            “No, we don’t talk. I don’t think of us as a ‘we’ like you seem to think of yourselves as. There’s me, and then there’s the other guy, and there isn’t a whole lot of overlap. I don’t even fully remember the things he does.”

            “Oh,” they said, deflating.

            “You think of yourselves as one? Do you talk?”

            “Always.”

            “Must get noisy.”

            They shrugged. “Beats the quiet.”

            Banner gave a wry smile, then stood with a wince and offered them a hand, which they accepted, and let him help them up.

            “Tony didn’t mean to hurt you. He thought he was saving Brock’s life. If he had his way, he’d detain you here and run some more tests until he was sure. And I won’t lie to you—somebody will be checking in on you periodically, just to make sure…well, you know. But you won’t be bothered again. I’ll make sure of it. Tony’s got some issues he needs to work through, and unfortunately this Life Foundation case pushed just about all of his buttons, and it got taken out on you, and that wasn’t fair. He’s not…he’s not a bad man,” Bruce said, his eyes beseeching.

            They shrugged. “Good men do bad things. Bad men do good things.”

            “Yeah. Some people around here could use a little of that line of thinking, to tell you the truth. Things have gotten a little…black and white. The point is, I’m gonna make sure you aren’t bothered. You’re free to go. I’d…appreciate it if you didn’t spread this around.”

            Eddie raised a brow. “Who could we tell?”

            Bruce winced. “Yeah, I figured as much.”

            They left Stark Tower unbothered. As they walked back to their hotel, a boy in a red suit dropped from a building into their path when they ducked down a shortcut through an alley.

            The boy pulled off his webbed mask before they had a chance to go on the offensive and held up his palms. They blinked and relaxed.

            “Hey, hey, I’m not here to hurt you,” Peter said in a loud, unnecessary whisper. “I just—just wanted to—make sure you were ok.”

            They grinned. “We’re good, thanks. You did us a real favor, back there.”

            Peter shrugged miserably. “I hacked Mr. Stark’s cameras…I know I shouldn’t have, I know, I know, but—I knew there was this big secret meeting going on, and I’d been following the Life Foundation thing in the news, I knew it was you coming for the interview, and—I was just so curious! I mean, aliens? Too fucking cool, right? But I—I never expected Mr. Stark would…would do something like that.”

            The boy looked so crestfallen, as though his idol had been toppled.

            “Listen, kid…Stark’s an arrogant jackass, but he’s still, you know…a goddamn hero,” they said, grimacing as if the admission tasted sour. “Do we want to bite his head off? Yeah, a little. But we won’t, ‘cause we know he helps people, and we know he thought he was helping when he did what he did today. Just, uh…people like that are a little dangerous, when they start thinking that just ‘cause they’re a hero, they know what’s right or wrong better than everybody else. Nobody gets to decide what’s good for you, but you.”

            “I guess that’s right…”

            “You work for him?”

            “I’m an intern.”

            “And also Spiderman, apparently.”

            Peter blushed. “You can’t tell anyone! Which, you know, I figure you won’t, since I know about you, too.”

            “Wow, bribery.”

            “Hey, I just thought it’s only fair, since I spied and found out something about you I shouldn’t have—I thought, hey, we’ll keep each other’s secrets!”

            “Yeah, we won’t tell. We don’t even live here. The sooner we’re out of New York, the better for everyone.”

            “I hope you don’t feel unwelcome just ‘cause Mr. Stark got a little…feisty.”

            “Feisty?” they said, and laughed.

            Peter went red and shrugged. “Well…it was cool meeting you, Mr. Brock and co. Don’t know the other guy’s name, so…be seeing you around, I guess.”

            Peter held out a fist. Eddie smirked and bumped it with his own, and then to their surprise a tendril extended from his sleeve and Venom bumped their fists.

            Peter laughed in delight. “Oh, wow! Too cool. You know, that must be really, um, useful, maybe we could team up sometime?”

            “Not likely, kid. We’re not from around here,” Eddie said. “And…aren’t you a little young for vigilantism?”  
            Peter shrugged. “Well, I’m a little genetically scrambled to just go to school, too.”

            Eddie and Venom thought that didn’t seem like a very good justification, but they were still reeling and eager to get as far away from the tower as they could. So they waved to Peter and, expecting never to see him again, went on their separate ways.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok some more notes:  
> -Thanos who?  
> -How does Thor know the Guardians if I'm ignoring Infinity War? Answer: Ok I actually do have an explanation which may or may not become clear later on. But the important thing is. He does.  
> -Calamity is not a canon symbiote but I didn't want to use one we're already familiar with  
> -Disclaimer: There is 70+ years of Marvel lore, some I am aware of, most I am not. In general, timelines and lore are not something I am overly concerning myself with. The focus here is on telling a story for my amusement and hopefully others find it entertaining as well. If errors and discrepancies between this story and canon are going to ruin the fic for you, there are many other Marvel writers with a far greater grasp on the MCU than I will ever attempt to have. If you are willing to allow me to take you on a silly, fairly light-hearted, character-bonding driven tale, buckle in babie.  
> -Peter Parker does not already know Venom in this because I'm using 2018 Venom origin story  
> -Natasha cameo for no reason
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy!!

**Six months later...**

 

            The restaurant was dimly lit by low-hanging golden lights, and although there wasn’t a single empty table, the sound of conversation and clinking cutlery was soft and muffled. Eddie and Venom sat at a small table in the corner. They faced the wall, their back to the rest of the patrons, and stared at it with the same dreamy, adoring eyes as the rest of the diners were staring at their dates with. Venom manifested tendrils that snaked down Eddie’s arm, snuck out of his cuffed sleeve and brushed softly across his knuckles as they ate their sashimi.

            “One year today,” Eddie said.

            He could feel Venom riffling through his memories of past anniversaries, looking for reference points. **_You did not always enjoy this tradition._**

            “Well, I just never got into all the things that went along with a relationship before. I didn’t get it. But I know stuff like that interests you, and if you think it’s important, so do I. It’s…different this time.”

            Eddie had been waking for the past month with second-hand memories of romance movies and noted that Venom had been perking up whenever the topic came around, noticing jewelry commercials and any mention of the various milestones that accompanied human relationships. When Eddie noticed a tiny star on their calendar, marking a year since they’d first bonded, he knew the symbiote was feeling sentimental. He wasn’t sure if Venom’s investment in human cultural traditions stemmed from a desire to please his host, or if it was simply a personal interest of his, filling a void where his own traditions might have been. Either way, Eddie was happy to oblige them.

            **_Different how?_**

            Eddie laughed under his breath. “Fishing for complements?”

            **_Maybe._**

            “So how is it different other than the fact that we’re physically bonded together, sharing a body, and you’re an alien?”

            **_You know, to me you’re the—_**

            “No, I’m pretty sure it’s just you.” Eddie swallowed, nerves fluttering in his stomach. “It’s different ‘cause…because I haven’t ever really been committed like I am now, to us.”

            The back of their neck prickled. Venom stirred beneath his skin, agitated. Eddie ignored the feeling, attributing it to his nerves, and unwilling to be deterred. He’d been psyching himself up all week for this.

            “Which is why…”

            **_Something’s happening, Eddie. Someone’s watching us._**

            “Well, we look like a guy having dinner and a conversation by himself, just ignore them.” Eddie paused and took a deep breath. “Like I was saying, it’s different with us. I never wanted to commit to anybody all the way before. So it’s kind’ve a big deal for me, that we made it a whole year, and I hope that—that there are gonna be more years like this one.”

            **_Even though there were bad parts, too?_**

            “Hell yeah, baby. You can’t scare me off now, no matter how many live lobsters you make us eat. Which is why—”

            **_Maybe we should go…_**

            “Look, V, let me finish, or I’m never gonna get this out. Just ignore them, people stare all the time.” Eddie reached down into their pocket and retrieved a small, black felt ring box. Venom stilled and went quiet in rapturous anticipation.

            “Venom, it’s us until the end for me,” Eddie said, forcing himself to speak though his voice trembled. “For better or worse, no matter what, I’m committed to us. There have been challenges, and I’m sure there’ll be more, but I’m willing to do what it takes to make this work. I know this might seem a little dumb, since we’re already bonded way beyond whatever human gestures can do, but I know you like that sort’ve thing, and if it’s important to you, it’s important to me, so I just thought maybe—maybe, you know, symbolically, it might mean something, if…well, look,” he said, popping open the case to reveal the simple black band of a ring, his face burning.

            The swell of ravenous affection Venom sent thundering through every corner of their body nearly sent them tumbling out of their chair and knocked the breath from their lungs. It was a love that wanted to eat them both alive, and Eddie didn’t mind one bit—he relished it.

            “Aw, hell, V,” he mumbled, vision swimming. “Do you have any idea what you do to us?”

            Then a woman with a sleek brunette bob cut and a little black dress slid into the seat across from them. They blinked at her dumbly, so overcome and taken aback that they weren’t sure at first if she were really there.

            “Sorry I’m late,” she said, and then looked at the ring. She quirked her red lips and arched one delicate brow. “For me? You shouldn’t have, this is all moving so fast…”

            “What?” Eddie croaked.

            Natasha Romanoff leaned forward across the table and lowered her voice. “Stay calm and this’ll go smoothly for everyone. You’re Eddie Brock, and one year ago you were involved in the Life Foundation’s experiments, and since then you’ve been under careful monitoring by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. It’s in your best interests to do as I say.”

            “Um…we’re kind’ve in the middle of something, can’t this wait?”

            Natasha glanced down again at the ring. Eddie hastily snapped the box shut and slid it back into his pocket.

            “I’m afraid not,” she said. “We need your help.”

            “Well, couldn’t you have left a voicemail, like normal people? Shot us an email? I mean, we’ve got a life, you know, we can’t just drop everything ‘cause you guys want—what do you want?”

            “All of that will be explained once you come with me.”

            “We aren’t going anywhere. You’ve got the wrong guy, ok? We don’t want any part of whatever it is you guys do, we just wanna be left alone.”

            “I understand. We wouldn’t be reaching out to you if we didn’t feel it was necessary. If you cooperate, this’ll all go much faster.”

            “And if not?”

            “I have full authorization to get you to come back with me in any way I see fit.”

            “Two against one,” Eddie growled.

            “One that you can see.”

            “You don’t have any right to do this.”

            “Well, you see, the thing is, you don’t actually have rights, Brock. Technically speaking…”

            Eddie scoffed. “Oh, seriously? Pulling the half-alien card? We’re a person, you can’t just—”

            “I’m doing my job, Mr. Brock. At least hear what we have to say. You aren’t going to be detained. This isn’t an excuse to lock you up in a lab. We’re reaching out to you as potential colleagues.”

            “So we don’t have a choice?”

            Natasha just stared.

            Eddie sighed. “Can we take a raincheck? Like, move this to next week.”

            “No.”

            Eddie sighed and stood. “Lead the way, I guess.”

            Venom gave a frustrated scream that made them both wince.

            “I know, I know,” Eddie said.

            **_This is some bullshit._**

            “Yeah.”

            **_Can we eat her and get back to what we were doing? You were saying something about how we’re going to be together forever and ever?_**

            “I’ll make it up to us, darling,” Eddie said, not caring if Natasha heard. “Promise.”

            They followed Natasha outside where a sleek black car was waiting. Banner was leaning against it with his arms crossed, biting his lip.

            Banner looked up and smiled. “Hey, Eddie. Sorry about this.”

            “Whoa, Dr. Banner, what’re you doing here?”

            Banner shrugged. “Familiarity? Thought it might help you feel…I don’t know…”

            “Less like being taken hostage?”

            “Let’s get going,” Natasha said, swinging into the driver’s seat.

            “So this is the part where we get into your car, let you drive us god knows where, without anybody knowing where we are?”

            “That a problem?” Natasha said. She gave them a cocky smirk that was a little too vulnerable to hit its mark.

            Eddie got in the back with Banner. Natasha sped off down the street and an awkward silence hung heavily in the car.

            Bruce looked Eddie up and down, taking in the suit. “Did we…interrupt something?”

            “Yeah, looked like a special occasion,” Natasha said.

            Eddie grimaced and tugged at his collar. “Er…it’s fine.”

            “Was a pretty classy restaurant,” Natasha said. “Nice ring, too.”

            “Ring?” said Banner.

            “Mind your own business,” Eddie grumbled. “Where are we going? What’s going on?”

            “Your extended family is causing trouble in the nether realms,” said Natasha.

            Eddie blinked. “Um…come again?”

            “Thor will explain everything,” Banner said.

            “Uh…Thor?”

            “You know, God of Thunder?”

            “Oh,” Eddie said. “That Thor.”

            Natasha whipped around a corner down a deserted row lined on both sides by abandoned construction sites, then with a screech of tires that had Eddie clutching the overhead handhold, she parked alongside some dusty scaffolding.

            The three of them got out. In the shadows beside a derelict crane, a tall man was leaning. He rocked forward on his heels and strode forward, a wide, beaming grin on his face.

            “Bruce! It is so good to see you!”

            “It’s only been half an hour…”

            “Really? Time passes so slowly here!”

            “So this is…”

            Natasha looked at Eddie. “Thor, God of Thunder.”

            “Ok. That’s, uh. That’s cool.”

            “And this must be the odd couple!” Thor said, clapping Eddie on the back.

            “What?”

            “Get used to nicknames,” Natasha said.

            “Is that not who they are? This is how they were introduced to me,” Thor said, looking at Natasha. “Stark said—”

            “Eddie Brock will work, just—just Eddie, is fine,” Eddie said.

            “Well, no time to waste,” Thor said, putting his hands on Bruce and Eddie’s shoulders. “And Eddie, you have my sympathies. Family—they can be a real pain in the neck. Sometimes literally.”

            Then the world warped around them, twisted up like a paper someone was crumpling into a ball. The construction site disappeared. Natasha stood watching with her arms crossed until she too was blotted out. With a sick lurch of their stomach, they found themselves in another place.

            Eddie staggered away from Thor, panting and looking around wildly. They were in a room—the same room in Stark Tower where they’d held that disastrous interview six months before. Banner and Thor were there behind them, while Tony was behind the bar.

            And across from Tony, seated at the bar, were Peter Quill and Gamora.

            “What the hell was that?” Eddie said.

            “Never gonna get used to that,” Banner muttered.

            Quill pushed away from the bar and strode over to Eddie, giving him appraising look. “Is this our guy?”

            “Uh…you two come from some kind’ve convention, or something?” Eddie said, staring at Gamora, who met his gaze evenly.

            Thor gave a booming laugh. “Ha! No. Outer space.”

            “What he said,” said Quill. “Where’d you two come from, a funeral?”

            “Dinner, actually,” Eddie said, giving Stark an annoyed look. “Which was pretty hard to get reservations for, by the way. Not all of us are rolling in cash, you know.”

            Stark waved a hand. “Hello to you too, Brock. Consider yourself compensated, that’s not what you need to be worried about right now.”

            Eddie fumed. “Um, it kind’ve is? Can you hurry up and accuse us of something outrageous, waste an hour bickering back and forth about it, then let us go with a vague threat already?”

            Stark sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

            “Aren’t you curious about who we are and how we know you?” Quill asked.

            “Not really,” Eddie said. “I assume you’re with that guy,” he said, pointing over his shoulder at Thor.

            “Correct!” said Thor. “They know me, and I know Banner, and Banner knows you, and you don’t know them, but they know _of_ you, and Stark—”

            “I don’t care!” Eddie said. “That’s not important, your lives are ridiculously complicated, I’ll just take your word for it. Why are we here?”

            “Because one of your little slime ball buddies is on a rampage, and we’re contractually obligated to stop it,” Quill said.

            “Peter,” said Gamora.

            Quill sighed. “Alright, we’re also morally obligated.”

            “Have you all lost your minds? You said you’d be watching us, so you know we’ve got nothing to do with whatever he’s talking about,” Eddie said, looking at Banner.

            “Hey, Shape of Water, could you be quiet and pay attention for a second?” Stark said.

            “Shape of—what?”

            “Did I read the room wrong, or do you two not have some kind’ve freaky interspecies thing going on?”

            “We aren’t freaky.”

            “Jury’s out on you, but in this case, I agree, what’s so freaky about that?” Quill said.

            “Jesus Christ,” Tony muttered. “You know what, nevermind. We’re not having this conversation.”

            “Hey, man, you brought it up,” said Quill.

            “My nephew is an eight-legged horse,” said Thor. “I do not see the issue here.”

            Gamora gave a quiet groan. “Is this the host we were promised?” she said, pointing to Eddie and staring at Thor.

            “Oh, yes, this is him.”

            “Then let’s not waste any more time. Take us back to the ship.”

            “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Eddie said, backing away. “What ship? Why am I here?”

            “We have been hired to find and terminate the symbiote known as Calamity,” Gamora said. “However, we haven’t been having much luck yet.”

            “You can say that again,” said Peter.

            “No, I don’t want to.”

            “It’s a figure of—ah, you got me,” he said, smiling when he caught her smirk. “Love a good Draxism, never gets old.”

            “Is this English?” Eddie said. “I don’t understand.”

            “Let me spell it out for you,” Peter said. “Alien parasite is rampaging through Knowhere. Nobody can find it, let alone stop it, so we get brought in, because we’re the best. But this thing is a little too bad for it’s own good, and it’s giving us a run for our money, and that’s where you come in. We heard through the grapevine there was another one of these things on Earth, but a domesticated one.”

            **_Domesticated is a word for cattle,_** Venom growled. **_Not a parasite._**

            “I don’t like the sound of this at all,” Eddie said. “And if you’re talking about symbiotes, quit saying parasite, would you? It’s rude.”

            “Ok, whatever. So, you’ve got one of these symbees, we need to catch one—do you see where I’m going with this?”

            “Er…not really.”

            “We want to hire you to help us!” Gamora said. “We have no idea what we’re dealing with. We’ve spent weeks walking around Knowhere, but this thing is always two steps ahead of us. We’re following a trail of bodies, but we don’t have any leads. We could spend the rest of our lives chasing it in circles.”

            “Well, hey, I think that’s underestimating us a little, we don’t need this guy, it would just make things go a lot faster.”

            “We need him, Peter.”

            “You know anybody called Calamity?” asked Eddie.

            “We just told you—”

            “Not you.”

            **_No. But that’s not unusual. We aren’t a very social species._**

            “Ok, well, we don’t know Calamity, so…sorry, can’t help. Please zap us back to San Francisco now, we’re sort’ve in the middle of something.”

            “You will help us,” said Gamora. “Please, you’re the only ones who can. There isn’t another pair like you in the galaxy. You’re one of a kind.”

            “Oh, well, I don’t know about that…” Eddie said, a happy flush warming their skin.

            **_Flattery will get her everywhere._**

            “It’s true. From what we know about the symbiotes, which admittedly isn’t very much, it seems they burn through hosts like fuel, and don’t bond with them the way you have. It’s a miracle something like you even exists. You’re our best hope at stopping Calamity. Every moment we waste, another person might be dying.”

            Eddie hesitated and shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, skin crawling. “Look, it’s like you said, the symbiotes don’t typically play nice. How hard can it be to find Calamity? If they’re anything like the ones we’ve known, they can’t be hard to find. Just look for, you know, a pile of bodies.”

            “Because Calamity isn’t leaving us many clues,” Peter said. “It isn’t just killing left and right, and even if it was, you don’t know Knowhere—to the untrained eye, it’s a little hard to distinguish one body from the next, we don’t know what we’re looking for.”

            “Sounds like a nice place,” Banner said weakly.

            **_Unusual._**

            “Yeah, you guys aren’t known for your subtlety,” Eddie mumbled. “How likely is it…I mean, do you think it’s possible that…”

            **_That we might not be the only ones looking for a perfect bond, instead of a quick meal? Unlikely. But intriguing._**

            “Are you talking to it?” Peter asked.

            “Yeah.”

            “We don’t have time for this,” Gamora said. “You have to help us. What will it take to convince you? We can negotiate compensation. There will be danger, but you’re acting more as an investigator than anything—we can handle stopping Calamity when the time comes.”

            “And by stopping, you mean…”

            “They want it dead,” said Gamora. “Is that going to be a problem?”

            Eddie shrugged.

            **_We killed Riot in self-defense. Would do so again, if threatened. If not, let them handle it._**

            “I guess not,” Eddie said. “Look, we can’t just—go flying off into outer space. That’s crazy. I think you’ve got the wrong idea about us, we aren’t—we don’t—”

            **_They think we’re heroes, Eddie. Aren’t we?_**

            “Well—well, not like that! We’re small-time, you know?”

            **_But we could be more._**

            “I—I guess, but do we want to be? Don’t we like how we are now? You aren’t…bored, are you?” Eddie said, a pang of nerves making his stomach flip.

            “Whoa, hey, what’s it saying?” Peter said.

            “How long is this going to take?” Gamora groaned.

            Eddie glared at them. “Do you mind? We have to talk about this.”

            “Man, ordering out must be hell,” Peter said. “You two have to hash it out every time you do something? Like, one day does it decide what to eat for breakfast, do you take turns, do you toss a coin?”

            **_Not bored, Eddie, but…could be exciting. Do you doubt us? We’ll keep us safe, won’t get hurt. Survived Riot, will survive this, together. You showed me your home planet, kept us safe here, we can protect the fragile human body from space._**

            “Yeah, but…what about work? What about our apartment? That stuff isn’t just gonna pause while we go off and play space pirates.”

            Venom sighed. **_Apartment is not that great, Eddie. Can get another just like it. Can get hired again at the same job, we have the experience._**

            “Well—well—” Eddie was rapidly running out of excuses. “What about dinner?”

            Venom laughed. **_Can have dinner another night._**

            “But tonight was our—”

            **_And we are very happy about that. And there will be many more. This would be an adventure, Eddie. But if you do not want to, we don’t, either. Must both agree._**

            “We do have to agree,” Eddie said, massaging his temples, a low-grade pounding headache building at the base of his skull as it always did when there was dissonance between them and they tried to meet in the middle. “I didn’t—I wish there was time to think about this. I wasn’t expecting it, this isn’t how I thought today was gonna go. But—but if you want to, then—then I guess…”

**_Is this not the right thing to do?_ **

            “Well, I guess! But right for who?”

            **_For the people on Knowhere, Eddie._**

            “What about for us?”

            **_Why would it not be right for us, if we want to be good?_**

            “I don’t know…so that’s it, then? You wanna go?”

            **_We want to go if you want to go, Eddie. We want to be together._**

            “Fine,” Eddie snapped, wiping his sweating palms on his slacks. “Fine, we’ll help.”

            “Are you sure?” Peter said. “You don’t need another hour to yell at yourself about it?”

            “Perfect,” Gamora said. “Let’s go.”

            “Just like that?” Eddie yelped.

            “Why waste another second, if you’ve agreed?”

            The relief of coming to an agreement made Eddie feel loose and boneless. “Alright, alright, fine, let’s go, we’re ready.”

            “Actually, I’d like a word with you first, Brock,” said Tony, beckoning Eddie over and pressing a panel in the wall that caused a door to slide open.

            “Um…ok?”

            “This’ll only take a second, then you can be on your merry way,” Tony said.

            The door slid shut behind them, leaving them in a small room with floor to ceiling shelves of alcohol.

            “Jesus,” said Eddie.

            “I want to apologize to you,” Tony said.

            “Oh, come on, man, that’s not necessary, it’s been like, half a year—”

            “Let me finish. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t know what I was doing. From what I’d read from Drake’s files, I just thought I’d found the quickest and easiest way to get the symbiote out of Eddie Brock. I didn’t think for a second you might not want that, I didn’t bother to think, and for that I’m sorry. That kid—Peter—he’s sort’ve what gets me out of bed in the morning nowadays,” Tony said, his tone matter-of-fact and curt. “Hearing about what the Life Foundation was doing—the willful negligence—it brought it all back. All I could think was, Christ, all that was for nothing, and maybe people really are shit, maybe Drake was right and we should get wiped out, sometimes I wonder—but not that kid, Brock, that kid’s what reminds me there are people who deserve to have a nice place to grow up. And you helped make that possible. And now you’re doing it again. What you’re doing, don’t think I don’t realize it’s a sacrifice. And I’m thanking you for it. Not for my own sake, but for Peter’s. You’re a good guy, Brock.”

            Eddie swallowed and struggled not to show how their malnourished self-worth was swelling with pride.

            “Thanks,” he said. "And could you maybe...let our friend Anne know where we've gone? So she doesn't just think we've disappeared?"

            “Sure, I'd be happy to. Is there anyone else?"

            "No, just her."

            "Right, now never mention this to me again,” Tony said, pressing a panel and pushing Eddie out of the room ahead of him.

            “Alright, who’s up next for Seven Minutes in Heaven?” said Quill. “Gamora?”

            “Grow up, Peter,” she said. “Can we leave now?”

            “He’s all yours,” said Stark.

            “Alright!” Peter said, beaming and clapping Eddie on the back. “Welcome to the team, Eddie. You’re gonna get to know us real well.”

            “Yay?”

            **_Why does that sound so ominous._**

            Peter pulled his hand away abruptly. “Hey, you’re not contagious, are you? You’re not gonna like, spawn an alien goo baby and eat our brains?”

            Eddie gave him a toothy smile. “No promises.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright get ready, entire Guardians crew coming next chapter. As always feel free to chat with me on tumblr at stilitana. <3


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